


The Tale Of The Murderous Firebug

by afteriwake



Series: The Family Business [8]
Category: Elementary (TV), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Big Bang Challenge, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-11
Updated: 2013-06-11
Packaged: 2017-12-13 23:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/830278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When serial arsonists begin to plague London and at least one of the arsonists, an American, is found dead, Lestrade asks for help from Tobias. This means a return to London for Holmes, not without some difficulty, as he has to face a former lover who still works for Scotland Yard. But as the case is quickly solved demons are laid to rest for both Holmes and Sally, and new relationships begin between those residing in London.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I just realized that when I post my story for **casestory** on LJ tomorrow I will not be able to unzip my zip file, so I need to post it today. Apologies for such an early posting.

“Exactly how did you leave London?” Tobias asked Holmes one morning after he had called his consultant and Joan into his office. Marcus was standing nearby, waiting.

“Not on the worst note, I suppose, but not under the best of circumstances. I had managed to rather annoy DI Lestrade quite a bit. Why do you ask?” Holmes said, crossing his arms slightly.

Tobias picked up a file. “We have a cross-jurisdictional case. INTERPOL has arranged for us to work with Scotland Yard on it. Your cousin specifically suggested you come along.”

Holmes’s eyes widened slightly. “What type of case is it?”

“Homicide, of a sort. American citizen was killed in London, he was suspected of being an arsonist here and there, and then it just got…messy.” Tobias handed the file to Holmes, who opened it. “Marcus and I will be there to help with the homicide. Your cousin requested you to help find the other people who had been setting the fires. His contact in Scotland Yard doesn’t want any more of a panic than he already has.”

“Lestrade has the case?” Holmes asked, flipping through the file.

“Yes. He’s willing to let bygones be bygones in all this,” Tobias said. “It helps that your cousin and I both suggested the two of you for the case.”

“So we’re going to London?” Joan said, peering over Sherlock’s shoulder to look at the file.

He nodded. “Yeah. Don’t embarrass the NYPD, Holmes.”

Holmes looked up and got an annoyed look on his face. “Why would you tell me that?”

“Because Sally is still there,” Tobias said with a slight smirk. Holmes grimaced slightly. “She wasn’t all that keen on seeing you again, either.”

“Lovely,” Holmes murmured. He closed the file and handed it back to Tobias. “When are we leaving?”

“Four hours. That should give you enough time to get ready and get back here.”

Holmes nodded. “Very well. We’ll be back here in three.” He turned to Joan and nodded, and then the two of them left. “This is going to be interesting,” he said quietly.

“How so?” Joan asked.

“Sally Donovan and I have an interesting history together,” he said with a sigh. “She is a former paramour of mine, from when I was much younger. Before Irene. We had a tremendously messy end. And then we were both involved with Scotland Yard, which is part of the reason I would take the cases my cousin did not want. He preferred to work with Lestrade, and Sally is his subordinate. I would work with the other Detective Inspectors in order to avoid her, though there were times that was simply not an option.”

“London is not a really great place for you, is it?” she asked, trying to hide a smile but not quite succeeding.

“No, it is not.” He pulled out his phone. “I shall have to cancel my plans with Irene, at any rate. We were going to go to the opera this weekend, and I had promised I would accompany her to her next doctor’s appointment.”

“I hope she understands,” Joan said.

“She should. She understands that cases such as this are rather infrequent, but she knows I will usually put my cases before all else. It is probably a failing of mine.” He pulled up her number and hit send, and then waited.

She picked up after three rings. “Sherlock. This is a surprise.”

“I have to cancel our plans, I’m afraid. I need to go to London for a case.”

There was a pause. “Was your presence requested?”

“Yes. You know I would not return otherwise on such short notice.”

“Say hello to your cousin and John for me, then. We can reschedule both things for another time.”

“You should go to the opera without me, and I do not think your doctor will appreciate you having to reschedule.”

“It’s not as though it’s a sonogram appointment,” she pointed out. “And it’s all right. I feel a bit under the weather as it is. I may have had to cancel myself.”

“If you’re sure,” he said.

“I am. Try not to do anything you’ll regret.”

“I seem to be get warnings of that type quite frequently today,” he replied sourly.

She chuckled slightly. “It’s just because you and London are no longer a good fit. And I believe you said you had a former lover working at Scotland Yard?”

“Yes. And I’ll have to deal with her on this case, too.”

“Oh, poor you,” Irene said sympathetically. “Just remember you have me to come home to. She will only be a bother for the duration of the case.”

“There is that,” he said with a faint smile.

“I will see you when you get home, then. I promise,” Irene said. “I love you.”

“I love you as well,” he said, hanging up. He turned to see a smile on Joan’s face. “What is it?”

“I just love the fact that you’re open about how you feel about Irene, that’s all,” she said. “It’s nice.”

“And unexpected?”

“Yeah, that too.” She looked at him. “How is she doing?”

“She feels a bit under the weather,” he replied. “Which makes me nervous.”

“I can check on her when we get home.”

“You were only a surgeon.”

Joan rolled her eyes. “I still had to cover a lot in med school, and I’ve had to work with pregnant women before. I’ll talk to her, see if it’s anything you should be worried about, all right?”

“Very well,” he said with a nod. “Let’s go home and pack, shall we?” He looked at her closely and she nodded, and they made their way out of the precinct. This was going to be a very interesting trip back home for him.

\--

Sherlock paced around the small conference room at Scotland Yard. Donovan was watching him, a slight scowl on her face. He had to admit she had been one of his least favorite people at Scotland Yard, but after he returned from trying to take down Moriarty’s network he’d tried to have a better working relationship with her. There was no chance of that with Anderson, as the two men absolutely detested each other, but he’d managed to make some inroads with her. The imminent arrival of his cousin had put her in a sour mood, and he knew why.

“He’s seeing someone else,” Sherlock said as he stopped by the door. “They’re expecting their first child in six months.”

“I figured as much,” she snapped.

Sherlock blinked slightly and turned to look at her. He knew that while he had been gone working on keeping his friends safe her relationship with Anderson had disintegrated. Personally he thought she was better off for it. When she and him weren’t at each other’s throats Sherlock could admit she was, at the very least, a decent person and a competent member of the police force. He had hoped not to see this side of her again. “I see.”

She looked at him, then sighed. “It’s just not fair, that’s all, that he’s happy,” she said quietly. “I mean, I know _you_ don’t care. You don’t fancy anyone, and I think the only person in the world who fancies you is Molly Hooper, and she’s more or less given up on anything happening with that.”

“What?” Sherlock asked, slightly surprised. He knew she had fancied him, but he hadn’t thought much about it one way or the other until recently, when he began re-examining his own feelings on the matter. He had decided it might be best to pursue a romantic relationship, but if something had changed, he should have noticed. He enjoyed his friendship with Molly and didn’t want it in jeopardy, and if she no longer fancied him there was no point in pursuing anything above a friendship with her. 

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed she’s stopped trying to look pretty when you come in,” she said, rolling her eyes. “For such a brilliant man sometimes you can be a bloody idiot.”

“I had, but I didn’t realize that was the reason,” he said. “I thought she was just more comfortable with me.”

“No. I had a few drinks with her last week. She’s about to give up on you entirely as anything more than a friend.” He watched her glance out through the glass walls towards where John was sitting, talking to one of the other people at Scotland Yard, a female. As Sherlock turned to watch he noted that John had a wide smile on his face and the woman was blushing. At that moment something he said had caused her to laugh, and his smile widened even more. “Why is he such a flirt?” she murmured.

“I believe it’s just in his nature,” Sherlock said with a shrug before turning back to Donovan. “Would you rather have him turn his attentions towards you?”

“That’s none of your business,” she replied, but he could see her cheeks flushing slightly. Ah. So she did fancy John. If John had to start a relationship with anyone he supposed Donovan wouldn’t be so bad, and she might at least understand the demands he had on John’s time, being in the same line of work. And perhaps if he paid attention to her she might let go of the sour mood she had with his cousin’s pending arrival. “Look, when is Sherlock supposed to get here?”

“Late tonight. Why?”

“Greg asked me to be there when he meets them at the airport, but I want to cry off.”

Sherlock thought for a moment. “Why don’t we suggest to Lestrade that I accompany him? After all, Detective Bell and Joan Watson both know me already. And I’m sure when you tell Lestrade that you have an aversion to my cousin due to a prior relationship he would prefer there not be fireworks, so to speak.”

“You’d do that for me?” she asked, surprised.

“I know there is no love lost between yourself and my cousin. If you make Lestrade aware of that, I’m sure there will be less tension. If it will make things easier, I’d rather keep him out of your hair altogether, or at least as much as possible. I am willing to do this to make your life easier and solve the case of the other arsonists at the same time.”

“I could kiss you,” she said quietly.

“Please don’t.”

“I wasn’t really going to,” she said, though she had a slight smile on her face. “I owe you a favor, Sherlock, if Greg will go for this.”

“I’ll remember that,” he said with a nod. “Let’s go talk to Lestrade now.” He watched her get up before he opened the door and stepped through, Donovan behind him. He just wanted to solve the case, but being owed a favor by Donovan might not be a bad thing.

John saw them leave and bid his new friend good night, then joined them. “Have any brilliant insights?” he asked Sherlock.

Sherlock shook his head. “No. Donovan and I are just hoping to ask Lestrade for a favor.”

“What type of favor?”

“To let me accompany him when he meets with my cousin and the others instead of Donovan.” He thought for a moment. “There’s no need for you to go as well, if you want to go take your new friend out for dinner.”

John chuckled. “I would, but her girlfriend probably wouldn’t like that,” he said quietly. “And besides, Joan will be there. I don’t mind.”

“I’ll be going over the case until the last possible moment,” he said as they neared Lestrade’s office. “You should probably go get something to eat soon. Perhaps Donovan can join you.”

“What?” Donovan said from behind John.

“Perhaps you would like to get dinner with John,” Sherlock said, resisting the temptation to roll his eyes. He may have been blind to Molly but he wasn’t a complete idiot when it came to matters of the heart. “I’ll even pay for it. I want to be left alone to see what theories formulate.”

“I don’t mind,” John said, giving her a grin. “If Greg says you can go home maybe we can hit the Indian place down the street before I have to come back and meet up with everyone.”

Sally blinked slightly, and then stared at Sherlock as he got to the office door for a moment. Then she turned to John and gave him a warm smile. “All right, John. That sounds nice.”

“All right, then,” he said with a widening grin back.

Sherlock opened the door and John walked in first. Donovan looked at him. “That’s two favors I owe you,” she said quietly.

“Only if you don’t make a hash of things,” he murmured in reply.

She nodded, and then walked into the office. He had done his good deeds for the day. Now he could concentrate on the case and hopefully have more ideas and theories before the New York contingent arrived later that evening.


	2. Chapter 2

Lestrade allowed Sherlock to accompany him to meet the NYPD officers as well as the other Sherlock and Joan. Sherlock had expected John to join them but apparently he and Donovan were having a fascinating conversation and he didn’t want to end it, and he hoped Sherlock could pass on his apologies to Holmes and Joan. Sherlock had grinned slightly when he read the text messages. The loss of his friend for the evening would put Donovan in a better mood come morning, so it was worth it.

“So, how is he?” Lestrade asked as he and Sherlock stood at the arrivals gate, waiting.

“My cousin?” Sherlock asked. Lestrade nodded. “Quite well, actually. He’s more stable than before. More settled. He’s expecting a child in about six months.”

“That’s good,” Lestrade said with a nod. “I don’t want any more incidents like last time.”

“If you remember, Detective Gregson hit me, not my cousin,” Sherlock said with a slight frown.

“You know what I mean. No drama.” He paused. “I’m glad Sally told me about her and your cousin. I’d always wondered why the two of them hated each other. Between the two of us I think we can keep them apart.”

Sherlock nodded. “Plus I get the feeling that John might prove to be a useful distraction.” Lestrade raised an eyebrow. “They’ve been sharing a meal for the last four hours. Well, they had been sharing a meal. I wouldn’t be surprised if the conversation has moved to a pub by now.”

“Ah,” he said with a nod. “I just hope if anything happens it doesn’t end badly. And I also hope you don’t sabotage it. She’s been hurt enough over the last few years.”

Sherlock made no comment to that, knowing he would make a comment about her folly in pursuing a married man. Lestrade had just finalized his divorce from his cheating wife, so he didn’t need to hear anything about the subject. Instead, he decided to change the topic. “I believe there are at least four other arsonists,” he said.

Lestrade nodded again. “Do you think one of them murdered Will Kelley?”

“It’s possible. There may be no honor among them, for all I know,” he said with a slight shrug. “But I still ascertain that the murder was carried out in the heat of a passionate exchange, and I doubt he would have that level of passion with any of his co-conspirators.”

“You don’t know, though.”

“No, I don’t.” 

“Could always be a woman involved,” Lestrade mused. “Women can get passionate like that.”

“True,” Sherlock agreed with a nod. “Though it is rarer for women to be serial arsonists.”

“But not impossible.”

“No, not impossible.” Sherlock looked over towards the gate and saw Joan and Sherlock come out of it. “I believe my cousin and his assistant have arrived.”

“The one who is John’s cousin, right?” Lestrade asked. “But she’s Asian.”

“A split in the family tree many generations back,” Sherlock said with a shrug. “She’s actually quite an interesting woman.”

“Huh,” Lestrade said. He was quiet until they got up to him, Tobias and Marcus right behind them. “Detective Gregson,” he said, extending his hand.

“DI Lestrade,” Tobias said, shaking his head. “This is Detective Marcus Bell and Joan Watson. And I’m sure you remember Holmes.”

“Hello,” he said. He offered his hand to Marcus, who shook it, and then to Joan, who did the same. Then he looked at Holmes and offered him his hand as well. Holmes shook it once, and then looked around. “There are lodgings for all of you near Scotland Yard.”

“Actually, my cousin had offered to let me reside with him for the moment,” Holmes said. A slight look of confusion was on his face.

“She’s not here,” Sherlock said after a moment, and a look of relief crossed Holmes’s face. Then he turned to Joan. “John sent along his apologies. He got caught up in an enthralling conversation this evening and didn’t want to end it.”

“Must be some remarkable woman,” Joan said with a smile.

“Your partner might not think so,” Sherlock said with a smirk.

Holmes’s jaw dropped slightly. “He’s on a date with _Sally_?” he asked.

Sherlock nodded. “They went and had dinner over four hours ago.”

“Huh,” Holmes said. “I thought he had better taste.”

“You dated her first,” Sherlock said. Then he cast a glance at Lestrade, whose jaw was rigid. “Perhaps this is a conversation best had elsewhere.”

Holmes looked over at Lestrade and nodded. “Perhaps you’re right.” He looked back to his cousin. “Is Mrs. Hudson still your landlady?”

Sherlock nodded. “When I told her you were going to be in town she insisted you stay with us.” He turned to Joan. “I would invite you to stay as well, but the only room left is the basement bedroom, and I wouldn’t subject you to that.”

“It’s all right,” she said with a smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine with whatever accommodations DI Lestrade has arranged.”

“Then why don’t you take your cousin home and go over what you know, and tomorrow we’ll all meet at Scotland Yard and go over everything?” Lestrade suggested to Sherlock.

Sherlock nodded. “Very well. What time?”

“Nine,” Lestrade replied.

“We’ll be there at nine,” Holmes said with a nod. Lestrade motioned for the others to follow him, and the two Sherlocks watched them watch away. After a moment Holmes turned to his cousin. “What on Earth possessed John to go out on a date with Sally?”

“I did,” Sherlock said with a shrug as the two men headed in the direction of the baggage claims. “She has changed, you know.”

“If you’re willingly getting along with her she must have undergone drastic personality changes,” he murmured. “Is she still a screaming shrew?”

“Not since I began to make an effort to treat her better,” Sherlock said with a shrug. “You had best keep yourself in check around her. John can only distract her so much.”

Holmes sighed. “You know we didn’t end things well.”

“Yes, and I also know she’s been agitated all day since I suggested you accompany Detective Gregson here for the case. It has not been pleasant to be around her, and I’ve promised both her and Lestrade I would try my best to keep you apart as much as possible. Please help make that task easier.”

“I will,” Holmes said with a nod. “If nothing else she’s good at her job. If I focus on that I can probably ignore the rest of her less desirable personality traits.”

“Please do.” The two men continued on in silence for a bit before Sherlock spoke again. “I have a few theories about the case.”

“Very well,” Holmes said. “I read the copies of the files Lestrade sent along. What are your theories?”

“There are at least four other arsonists that we should be looking for. One might be a woman, and it is very likely that one of the four is the murderer.”

Holmes nodded. “I had thought much the same. There were five completely different signatures in the fires that had already been set, so it stands to reason that there are multiple arsonists.” He paused. “Unless there isn’t a pathological desire driving them, and they are purposefully changing their signatures to confuse us.”

“That is a possibility,” Sherlock conceded. “I would say there are no fewer than three total, however.” He paused. “Well, two now.”

“Yes, I think the same.” Holmes looked at his cousin. “Have there been any other suspicious fires since the victim’s death?”

Sherlock nodded. “One, though Dimmock got that case because they weren’t sure if it was tied into our investigation at first. It turned out it matched the signature of the third fire. Dimmock will be working with us on the arson side of things.”

“Dimmock,” Holmes murmured. “Is he new?”

Sherlock nodded. “I’ve worked with him a few times.”

“Branching out, I see,” Holmes said with a slight smile. “Lestrade must have been relieved.”

“After Moriarty besmirched my name it’s taken some time to rebuild my reputation,” Sherlock said with a shrug. “Lestrade never stopped believing in me, and surprisingly Dimmock felt the same. The other Detective Inspectors will not allow me to consult, but these two will. I am fortunate in that regard.”

“Yes, I imagine so. I read some of the things written about you.” Sherlock raised an eyebrow at his cousin. “Just because we were estranged did not mean I didn’t see you mentioned all over the place. As I told you before, I was reading John’s blog for a time. After your supposed death I wanted to find out what some of the more cryptic posts in his blog were about, so I did my research.”

“I see,” Sherlock said quietly. “And you never believed it?”

“Not a word.”

“That’s good to know.”

They got to baggage claim, and Holmes grabbed his things. After that they made their way out to the waiting cabs. “Not everyone is going to be happy to see me, and I mean more than just Sally,” Holmes said as they neared the doors.

“You did leave under a rather dark cloud,” Sherlock said.

“Yes. I did not endear myself to many of the people at Scotland Yard. I hope more than just Lestrade are willing to let bygones be bygones.”

“I suppose we’ll find out tomorrow,” Sherlock replied.

“I suppose so.”

They got into one of the cabs, carrying on an easy conversation as they made their way to 221B Baker St. Mrs. Hudson was waiting for the two men when they got to her home, even though it was nearly eleven in the evening. “Sherlock, how good to see you again!” she said warmly, opening up her arms.

Holmes embraced her. “It is good to see you too, Mrs. Hudson.”

“I had always hoped you’d come back to London,” she said before she let go. “For the longest time I preferred you to your cousin.”

“At least one person in London did,” Holmes said with a slight chuckle. “Is it my imagination, or do you look younger?”

Mrs. Hudson blushed slightly. “Always the charmer.”

“Unlike me,” Sherlock said with an amused smile.

“Ah, but I know you love me as well,” Mrs. Hudson said with a smile, surprising Sherlock by enveloping him in a hug as well. He hugged her back. “Not many people would fake their death to keep me safe.”

“I would,” Holmes said.

“I know you would, dear,” she said as she let go of Sherlock. “You must be exhausted from your flight.”

Holmes shook his head. “Actually, I am quite eager to dig into this case.”

Mrs. Hudson chuckled slightly and looked at Sherlock. “The pair of you, always interested in your cases. Just this once I cooked for you. There are plates in the microwave for both of you. I figured you would ignore your meal, Sherlock, and that the airline food would be ghastly so you would both need a fortifying dinner.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hudson,” Sherlock said with a slight smile. “You have guessed correctly.”

“Tomorrow I’ll have mince pies baked and ready for you,” she said.

“I can’t wait,” Holmes said with a wide grin.

“Well, I’ll leave you boys alone for now. Don’t stay up all night.”

Holmes leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Good night, Mrs. Hudson.”

“Yes. Good night, Mrs. Hudson,” Sherlock said with a nod. She waved at the two of them and then made her way to her part of the house. 

“I have truly missed her,” Holmes said as he turned back to her cousin. “Was Moriarty really going to have her killed?”

Sherlock nodded. “Yes. Her, Lestrade and John. Possibly Molly as well.”

“Molly is the pathologist, correct?” Holmes asked.

“Yes. You will most likely meet her tomorrow. She wasn’t able to complete Will Kelley’s autopsy today so it will be done first thing in the morning.”

“I thought we weren’t handling the homicide,” Holmes said with a frown.

“We aren’t, but there may be details that can help us, so Lestrade said we could be there when she delivers her results.” He nodded towards the kitchen. “Let us eat and go over the case some more, shall we?”

“All right,” Holmes said with a nod. They made their way to the kitchen. “Do you think John will be joining us tonight?”

“I have no clue,” Sherlock said with a slight shrug as he got to the microwave. He pulled out one of the plates and then looked at it. “The food is still warm.”

“She must have just finished cooking it,” Holmes said with a smile. “She must really love me.”

“Yes, I suppose she does,” he said, handing the plate to his cousin. He took the other plate out and the two men carried them to the table. Sherlock went back and got utensils for them to use, then came back and gave a fork and knife to Holmes. “Each arsonist has a different signature and a different type of building they like to set on fire. One prefers industrial buildings, two prefer residences, and the other two prefer businesses.”

“It could still be three arsonists,” Holmes said, taking a bite of his food. “Two of them being smart enough to change their signature.”

“So far all the arsons have occurred while the buildings were empty, save one,” Sherlock said. “The third arson resulted in an injury but no deaths.”

“How severe was the injury?” Holmes asked.

“Third degree burns on the legs,” he said. “That was the industrial fire. There was a security guard there, and a burning beam fell on his legs. Firemen were able to rescue him fairly quickly, however.” Sherlock had some of his food. “The fires are all over London with no pattern I’ve been able to establish. In the conference room at Scotland Yard I have a map up with all the locations, including tonight’s fire, though I do not have all the details of it.”

“Not enough time to talk to the DI?” Holmes asked, eating more of his food.

Sherlock nodded. “He had only just come back from the scene a half hour before Lestrade and I left to get all of you. He promised to walk us through the scene tomorrow.”

“What type of building was it?” Holmes asked.

“A business.”

“Then we can rule out Will Kelley as the business arsonist. His arrest record in New York said he preferred industrial buildings and warehouses.”

“Then we are looking at at least one other arsonist who did not set a fire tonight,” Sherlock said. He took another bite of his food. “I am rather hoping there were only three of them. The case might be more challenging due to their efforts to evade us, but that will mean there are less people involved that we need to stop as well.”

“Yes,” Holmes said with a nod. “Do you have any clues at all as to the other arsonists?”

Sherlock shook his head. “No forensic evidence, no eyewitness accounts. Though that might not be the case with the latest fire. Dimmock said he might have a lead to pursue tomorrow morning.”

“And we’ll be there to accompany him?” Holmes asked.

“Yes,” he replied with a nod. “He will be there for the briefing on the homicide, and then we’ll go and try and follow up on his lead.”

“Very well,” Holmes said before continuing to eat. “I suppose we should get an early start tomorrow.”

“I doubt I will sleep for very long,” Sherlock said as he continued to eat his dinner. “I never do when I have a challenging case.”

“And I suppose you wish you had your assistant here?” Holmes asked with a slight grin.

“I have you here. You’re at least as good as John is,” Sherlock said with a smirk.

“You know I’m better, dear cousin,” Holmes said as he shook his head, but there was a grin on his face. Just as he finished he heard the door close. “And I do believe that is the man in question returning home.”

“Probably,” Sherlock said as John made his way into the common room. “Have a good evening, John?”

“Quite good,” John said with a grin. He looked over to Holmes. “Hello, Sherlock. Is Joan here?”

Holmes shook his head. “There was only one spare room here.”

“Did she seem upset that I wasn’t there to greet her?” John asked.

“No. She was rather amused that you were on a date,” Sherlock said.

“It wasn’t a date. Not exactly.” John moved over to the table and sat down. “Sally is actually quite interesting, though. More interesting than I realized.”

“At least one person thinks so,” Holmes muttered.

“We spent quite a bit of time talking about you,” John said towards Holmes. “She really doesn’t like you. I think she might dislike you more than she ever disliked him.” He nodded towards Sherlock. “Did you really break her heart?”

“Is that what she’s saying?” Holmes said, surprised. “I didn’t think she’d cared that much.”

“She did,” John said with a nod.

“That’s surprising,” Holmes said. “I never realized.”

“It explains an awful lot, though,” Sherlock said.

“That it does.” Holmes looked at his plate. “I suppose I’ll have to approach her in a different way, if I have to deal with her.”

“About that,” John said. “We talked about the case a bit. If it’s all right, I’d like to offer my assistance to her and Lestrade. I mean, Joan is here to help the two of you.”

“I don’t see why not,” Sherlock said thoughtfully. “You’ve been known to have some good insights at times.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” John said wryly.

“I meant it in the best possible way,” Sherlock said with a slight pout.

“I know,” John said with a slight grin. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I want to get some rest. What time do we need to be at Scotland Yard tomorrow?”

“Nine sharp,” Sherlock said.

“I’ll get up at seven to cook breakfast, then,” John said as he stood up. “Good night, gentlemen.”

“Good night,” Holmes said as Sherlock nodded. They both watched John head towards his room. “That was a rather surprising conversation.”

“Yes, it was,” Sherlock said as he finished his food. “Getting some rest sounds like a good plan. Are you finished with your food?”

“A few more bites,” Holmes said. “This is the best home cooked food I’ve had in a while. Just don’t tell Irene that.”

“Won’t breathe a word,” Sherlock said, taking his plate and utensils to the sink. A few moments later Holmes joined him. “How is Irene?”

“Very well, though she felt a bit under the weather before we left. I worried, of course, but Joan assured me she was fine.” He grinned slightly. “I will be missing a doctor’s appointment and a date to the opera, however. I’m more upset about missing the appointment than the opera. It was Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’ and I’ve already seen that once. Irene hadn’t, though, and that was the only reason I agreed to go.”

“I’m sorry I called you here, then,” Sherlock said as he took his cousin’s plate and utensils and washed them.

“It’s all right. She’s probably already rescheduled the appointment, and I suppose there are other events we can attend. This is an interesting case.” Holmes watched Sherlock put the plates and silverware in the drying rack. “She told me to tell you and John hello.”

“You may tell her I said hello as well,” Sherlock said.

“Glad to know there are no hard feeling between the two of you.”

“Just because she made a fool of my brother and I doesn’t mean I’ll hold a grudge forever. After all, she’s your girlfriend now, and carrying your child. I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point she becomes an actual member of the family.”

“That may never happen. She isn’t sure she wants to be married,” Holmes said quietly. “And it’s still much too soon. We both agreed on that point the day she informed me of her pregnancy.”

“It doesn’t mean you aren’t thinking about it.”

“I suppose that is true, though if she doesn’t want to get married I am perfectly fine with that. We will still be able to raise our child together.”

Sherlock nodded. “There is that. Let me show you to your room.” The two men left the kitchen, and Sherlock picked up some papers before he led Holmes up the stairs. He got to the bedroom Holmes was going to use and opened the door. “Here it is.”

“Thank you,” Holmes said.

Sherlock handed him the papers. “These are copies of everything we’ve gathered about the arsons that weren’t in the files Lestrade sent, if you feel like reviewing them. Good night, cousin.”

“Good night, Sherlock,” Holmes said as he took the papers and made his way into the room. He shut the door behind him and Sherlock made his way to his own room. His thoughts were still whirring about the case and he knew that, for tonight at least, sleep would be hard to come by.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning everyone met up in the larger conference room at Scotland Yard. It was a tight fit, but all the people investigating both the arsons and the homicide were there as they all got filled in. After that Dimmock left to go pursue his lead, with both Sherlocks and Joan going along with him. It turned out he had an eyewitness, a homeless man who didn’t want to talk at first until Sherlock mentioned someone from his homeless network who could vouch for him. The information was important: a woman with long dark hair had been seen running away moments before the fire blazed. The homeless man had gotten a good look at her and said he would probably be able to describe her to an artist. Dimmock took him to Scotland Yard while the other three went to St. Bart’s to meet with Molly.

“Lestrade was right. There was a woman involved,” Sherlock said as they made their way down to Molly’s part of the hospital.

“We had thought there was a chance,” Holmes said with a nod. “It’s good to have a lead like this.”

“So, who are we meeting right now?” Joan asked as she walked behind them.

“Dr. Molly Hooper,” Sherlock said. “She’s the pathologist who did the autopsy on Will Kelley. We are hoping she might be able to give us some more information to help identify his accomplices.” They got to the doors and Sherlock pushed them open. Molly was nowhere to be seen. “Strange. She was supposed to be expecting us.”

“I’m in my office,” Molly said from the right behind a closed door. A moment later she opened the door and came out, giving a grin to Sherlock, Holmes and Joan. “Hi. You must be Sherlock’s cousin and his assistant. I’m Molly Hooper,” she said, extending a hand to Holmes.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Holmes said as he shook her hand. She offered it to Joan, who did the same. “Did you complete the autopsy yet?”

“Just finished five minutes ago. Greg hasn’t even gotten the results yet.” She went to a drawer and pulled it open to reveal the body of a thirty-something man with blonde hair on it. “I don’t have much information that can help you with the arson angle, but I can tell you based on my preliminary results the attacker who killed him was no more than 167.64 centimeters tall.”

“So he or she was short,” Joan said.

“Probably a female,” Molly said. She went to a table and pulled out an evidence envelope. “I found two long dark hairs on him.”

“The woman running away from last night’s fire was short with dark hair,” Holmes said.

“Well, the hairs were on top of the clothes. I don’t know how the forensics team missed them.”

“It was Anderson’s case,” Sherlock said with a slight scowl.

“He’s usually not that incompetent,” Molly said with a frown. “Perhaps he was training someone new?”

“Perhaps,” Sherlock said.

“I can give you a copy of my report to give to Greg and the visiting detectives,” she said to Sherlock. “Just give me a moment to get it copied, all right?”

Sherlock nodded. “Thank you, Molly.” She turned and took a few steps forward when he spoke again. “May I join you in your office for a moment?” 

“All right,” she said as she turned to look at him, a slightly confused look on her face. “Follow me.”

The two of them went into her office and she went to her desk, picking up a file. “Donovan said you two went out for drinks last week, and I was a topic of conversation,” he said quietly after a moment.

She froze. “How much did she tell you?” Molly asked, slightly panic stricken.

“Enough to know your feelings towards me have changed,” he replied.

“Damn,” she muttered. “I never should have told her.”

“Are we still friends?” Sherlock asked.

Molly nodded slowly, not looking at him. “Yes, Sherlock. We’re still friends.”

“But you’d like to be more.”

“Yes, but I can see that’s never going to happen,” she said with a sigh. “You aren’t a relationship type person. To be honest, I’m surprised we’re even friends.”

“I trust you. You helped me pull off the great lie that was my death. You kept me sane as I was trying to keep all of you safe. I can’t forget that.”

“But you don’t want to be more than just my friend,” she said, picking up her report.

“I didn’t say that.” The report fluttered out of her grasp, and Sherlock waited a moment before picking it up. After a few seconds she helped. “You’re right in that I am not a relationship person. But I do know my feelings towards you have changed since I had to disappear. I suppose if I was willing to try with anyone it would be you.”

“Are you really sure you want to do that?” she asked quietly, her voice slightly hopeful.

He nodded. “Yes, I am fairly certain.”

“Oh. Okay. All right.” She smiled widely at him, and got a grin in return. “Perhaps when all of this is over we could get dinner or something.”

“That sounds fine,” he said with a nod.

“Okay,” she said, her smile getting wider. He handed her the pages of the report he had picked up and she took them before she stood up. “Let me make copies of this. Will two be all right?”

“Two will be fine,” he said with a nod. She reorganized the papers, then went to the copier and began to make copies. When she was finished she picked up a stapler and stapled each set together, and then gave them to Sherlock. “Thank you, Molly.”

“You’re welcome,” she said.

“You know, we don’t have to wait until the case is over,” he said after a moment. “My cousin has said he wanted to show Joan around the city a bit tonight, and John has a date with Donovan.”

“Really?” Molly said, surprised. “I never thought she would actually consider my suggestion.”

“Neither would I, but they seem to have hit it off. Perhaps we can get dinner tonight, if you would like.”

“As long as you promise to talk about more than just the case. I’ve enjoyed some of the other discussions we’ve had.”

He nodded. “I can make that promise.”

“All right. I get off work at six. You can call me when you’re free and I can meet you somewhere.”

“Very well,” he said. “I will see you tonight, then.” 

“See you later, Sherlock.”

He walked out of the office with a slight grin on his face, a grin that had his cousin looking slightly perplexed. “You must have had one very interesting discussion with her, cousin,” Holmes said.

“If you must know, I asked her out on a date,” he replied.

“You? Going out on a date?” Holmes said, the perplexed look turning into one of outright shock. “I never thought that day would come.”

The grin turned into a scowl. “Tease me about this, _dear_ cousin, and I will make you regret it.”

“He won’t,” Joan said, glaring at Holmes, who now wore a smirk. “I’ll hit him if he does.”

“Thank you,” Sherlock said, brushing past his cousin. “Come on. We have a sketch to go look at and autopsy results to deliver.” The three of them left St. Bart’s and headed back to Scotland Yard. Sherlock looked for Lestrade but only saw Donovan in the larger conference room. “Wait here,” he told his cousin.

“Why?”

“Because Donovan seems to be the only one around, and I want to make sure they get the autopsy results.” Sherlock nodded towards the conference room. “I don’t want fireworks, remember?”

“I need to deal with her eventually. It would be best if it was in an enclosed room away from prying ears,” Holmes said, taking one of the reports from him. Before Sherlock or Joan could say a word he strode into the conference room. Donovan looked up with a slight scowl on her face. “Hello, Sally,” he said quietly.

“Sherlock,” she said. She glanced out to the hallway. “Why didn’t your cousin bring me the report?”

“Because I think we need to talk,” he said, handing her the report.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she said, nearly snatching the report out of his hand.

“I am sorry if you feel I broke your heart,” he said, and she looked at him sharply. “John said as much last night.”

She looked at him for a moment, and then sighed. “You were so many firsts for me, you know that? And then you just threw everything away.”

“I know I was your first boyfriend and your first lover,” he said, sitting down. “I was other firsts as well?”

“You were the first person I ever trusted with the truth about how rotten my childhood was, and you were the first person I ever fell in love with, which made it hurt more when things were over,” she said. “Did you ever love me?”

He was quiet for a moment, and then shook his head. “No, I don’t believe I was ever in love with you. I did care for you, though, and I do wish things had ended better. Perhaps if I hadn’t walked away I would have loved you in time.”

“We’ll never know now,” she said, shrugging slightly. “Your cousin said you’re with someone else.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Do you love her?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes, I do. I have for a long time.”

“Even when you were with me?” she asked, her jaw set slightly.

“No, not then,” he said, and he saw her relax. “I did not leave you for someone else. It was years afterwards when I first started having a relationship with her.”

“What is her name?”

“Victoria,” he said, careful to remember Irene’s new name. “I knew her when I was young, and we reconnected when I was in my mid-twenties.”

“So you’ve been with her a very long time,” Donovan said.

He shook his head. “We had a fight and lost contact for many years.”

“She broke your heart?”

“She did, yes,” he replied.

“Is it bad that I’m happy for that?”

He smiled slightly. “No, it just makes you human.” He paused and looked at her intently. “I hear you might be interested in John Watson. He’s a good man. I think he will treat you well.”

“I hope so. And I hope your cousin doesn’t ruin things,” she said, glancing back at Sherlock through the glass walls. “From what John’s told me he had a nasty habit of sabotaging John’s relationships.”

“If you really like him you won’t let my cousin ruin things,” Sherlock said, his smile widening slightly. “You can be tenacious.”

“I just wasn’t tenacious enough to keep you,” she said before she turned to look at him again. “But I suppose that might not be a bad thing, in the end.”

“Perhaps not.” He reached over and offered her his hand. “Will we be able to work together now?”

She looked at his hand for a moment before shaking it. “I believe so. We probably should have had this talk years ago.”

“Yes, but we are both stubborn people. It was easier to hang on to hurt emotions than admit it had been for the best that things ended.” He let go of her hand. “Any leads in the homicide we should know about?”

She shook her head. “No. Did the autopsy help your end of the case?”

“The killer was short and had long dark hair, the same as the woman seen running from the fire set last night.”

“So we’re looking for at least one of the same people,” she said.

Holmes nodded. “It appears so. If the sketch isn’t finished by now we will make sure you get a copy when it is.”

“Thank you, Sherlock,” she said with a nod. She watched him stand up, and then she reached over for something in the file. “Oh. Give this to your cousin. If the killer was a woman this might interest him. It’s a bloody footprint found at the scene, too large to be a woman’s.”

“Was there only one?” Holmes asked.

“Just one.”

“It appears that there may be only three people involved after all,” he murmured. “Thank you, Sally.”

“You’re welcome,” she said with a nod.

Holmes left the conference room at that point, returning to his cousin and Joan. “Apparently there was at least one other person at the scene before the police arrived.” He handed the sheet of paper to his cousin. “A male, judging by the size of the footprint.”

Sherlock looked it over. “This is making it seem as though there were only three people involved in the arsons after all,” he said quietly.

At just that moment Sally came bursting out of the conference room, phone to her ear. “Holmes! Sherlock!” Both men turned to her. “There’s been another arson, a residential home. And there’s a dead body inside.”

Sherlock nodded. “Where?”

“Notting Hill. I’ll take you there. Greg is already there.” She lowered her phone and went back into the room to grab her coat. She shrugged it on as she opened the door again. “Follow me.”

“This is an unusual development,” Joan said.

“Yes,” Holmes replied. “They’ve been careful not to have fatalities at their fires.”

“From the looks of it, the man had his head bashed in, possibly before the fire was started,” Donovan said. “The autopsy will have to confirm it, but you might just have your other partner in the arsons murdered.”

“This is one woman I would be very afraid of,” Sherlock said.

“It’s starting to look like she might be the mastermind behind it,” Joan said.

Dimmock joined them as they neared the elevator. “Sketch just got finished. Off to the Notting Hill scene?” he asked Donovan, handing a sheet of paper to Sherlock. She nodded. “I’ll meet you there with copies of the sketch, see if anyone saw her.”

Sherlock showed the sketch to the others. “She is most likely the killer as well,” he said, looking at Dimmock after a moment.

He whistled soundlessly. “If she has more than two partners I’d be very worried if I was them.”

“We feel much the same way,” Holmes said.

“Let me get copies and then I’ll be there,” Dimmock said. “I’ll also have copies sent to the buses and airports in case she tries to leave.” With that, he turned around and headed away from them.

The elevator doors opened and they all got in. “Hopefully we can stop her before things get worse,” Donovan said.

“Hopefully we can stop her before she escapes,” Holmes said, looking at the sketch. “She is a very dangerous and violent woman.”

“Yes, she is,” Sherlock agreed with a nod.


	4. Chapter 4

The four of them got to the scene to see Lestrade, Tobias, Marcus and John already there. Dimmock arrived moments later, a stack of papers in his hand. Dimmock, Sherlock, Holmes and Donovan went to the others while Joan wandered over to the crowd, and Lestrade flipped open a notebook. “The victim was Oliver Perry. He wasn’t burned to death. His head was bashed in, and there was a bloody baseball bat nearby. He was tied to a chair.”

“She must really want to leave no one behind,” Holmes said.

“She?” Tobias asked.

Dimmock handed a sketch to Lestrade, Tobias and Marcus. “She was the woman seen running from the fire last night. We suspect she’s the woman who murdered our first victim.”

“She’s right over there,” Marcus said quietly, inclining his head to his left. Not everyone turned to look, just Sherlock, Holmes and Lestrade. “I was all set to interview her in a few moments.”

“Why don’t you go do that, Detective Bell,” Lestrade said. “Then when you get close enough, I’ll join you and we can arrest her.”

“Works for me,” Marcus said with a nod.

“Why does it always seem cases we work together are solved quickly?” Holmes asked his cousin as Marcus walked towards the suspect.

“Luck, I suppose,” Sherlock said with a slight shrug.

When Marcus got to her Lestrade made his way over. The woman looked panicked, and when Lestrade was very close she turned and bolted. Marcus gave chase but Joan was there first, sticking her leg out to trip the woman up. The woman fell to the ground and Marcus got to her first, hauling her up. Lestrade came moments later with a pair of handcuffs. The others made their way over, where the woman had just spit at Joan. “If I was allowed I would slug you across the face,” Holmes said as they got to her.

Joan took the handkerchief that Lestrade offered her. “It’s okay, Sherlock,” she said as she wiped the spit off her cheek. “It’s just saliva.”

“Still, it’s an insult,” Sherlock said.

“If this stupid bitch hadn’t tripped me I’d be gone,” the woman said in an unmistakable Queens accent.

“Ah, another American,” Lestrade said. “I hope you enjoy England. I think you’ll rot here.” He grabbed her arm and maneuvered her to a waiting police car. “We have some things to discuss.”

“I’ll go with you,” Tobias said, and Lestrade nodded.

The two of them and the suspect left the area and the others looked at each other. “It’s still a crime scene that needs to be investigated,” Joan said, folding up the handkerchief.

“I’ll stay,” Marcus replied.

Sally nodded. “I will as well. I believe between the two of us we can manage.” With that, the two of them walked back towards the scene.

“I’d like to be involved in the interrogation, or at least observe it,” Holmes said.

“I as well,” Sherlock said with a slight nod. “We should get back to Scotland Yard.”

“I can take all of you,” Dimmock replied. “Seems there isn’t much use for me here at the moment.”

“I seem to have missed all the fun,” John said. “How did all of you figure out she was the murderer?”

“There was an eyewitness at the last arson,” Dimmock said. “This was the sketch that came out of it.” He began leading the others to his car. “We found a print on the windowsill as well. She had a sticky substance on her hands and the fire hardened it instead of melting it. As soon as Lestrade gets her prints we’ll most likely be able to match it to her.”

“It appears all of you broke the case,” John said with a grin.

“Well, I’m sure you helped with the other case,” Sherlock said.

“Not in the slightest, but that’s because Sally found the footprint in the blood.”

“And I’m sure that footprint will be matched to our victim inside the home,” Holmes replied. “I do want to know if she has any other accomplices in the woodwork before I start celebrating, however.”

“You’re worried there will be more fires,” Joan said.

Holmes nodded. “I do. After all, we theorized there could be between three and five arsonists.” They got to the car a moment later. “I would like to find out if there will be any more firebugs to worry about or if she killed them all.”

The five of them got inside the car, Dimmock behind the wheel and Sherlock in the passenger seat with the others in the back. They discussed the case on the ride back to Scotland Yard, and then they headed towards the conference room. As Sherlock opened the door he could hear Donovan’s voice on the other side, reporting what they knew from the crime scene. “Dr. Hooper has the body,” she was saying as the others filed in. “She came to pick it up personally and said it would be the next autopsy she did.”

“Excellent,” Lestrade said. “We can use the time to go over what we know before we do the interrogation. As soon as you’re done there come back to us and we’ll fill you in.” He hung up the phone and looked at the five people who joined them. “She hasn’t demanded a barrister yet, which is good for us. I want to let her stew for a bit as we get more information.”

“Did you get her fingerprints yet?”

“As soon as we got here. Anderson is running them through the databases as we speak. He said he would send someone up with whatever he found out.”

“Hopefully he will do a better job than he did with the first victim’s body,” Sherlock said quietly. Lestrade raised an eyebrow. “Molly found the long dark hairs on his clothing. Any competent person in forensics would have spotted them before the body got to the pathologist.”

“He’s training a new group of people,” Lestrade said with a sigh. “He’s leaving, you know.”

“Really,” Sherlock said, his eyes slightly wide.

“He’ll be in our neck of the woods now,” Tobias said. “He’s been asked to be a member of the forensics team with the NYPD. I guess London is just as bad for him as it is for you, Holmes.”

“Wonderful,” Holmes murmured.

“Perhaps he’ll get along better with you than he did with me,” Sherlock said as he clapped his cousin on the shoulder.

“I hope so.” He turned to Tobias. “What do you know about our arsonist?”

“She didn’t give her name, and other than being from Queens we don’t know anything else,” he said with a slight shrug. “If she’s anything like our first victim she’ll have her prints in one of the NYPD databases. We told Anderson to run them through there first. What did you guys find out this morning from the autopsy?”

“The killed was short with long dark hair, approximately 167.64 centimeters tall,” Sherlock said

“Roughly five foot six then,” Tobias said and got a nod in return. “That’s about the suspects height.”

“How did she overpower the victims, though?” Joan asked. “I mean, she’s short, and the first victim was at least six inches taller than her, if not more.”

Sherlock flipped through the report that Molly had given him. “Apparently there were sedatives in the first victim’s bloodstream. I would not be surprised if we found them in our second victim as well.”

“Will Kelley could have been beaten in a chair, and then the chair left to burn in the fire, somewhere where it wouldn’t look out of place,” Lestrade mused. “I’ll have Anderson go back through the crime scene. I’m fairly sure it’s still cordoned off.”

“Wait, there was a fire at that scene?” Joan asked.

“A small one,” Sherlock replied. “A neighbor saw the flames in the front room and managed to douse it with a fire extinguisher that was kept in the home. He had a key because he was keeping an eye on the place while the owners were out of town. There was some contamination but nothing on the body. That’s why it wasn’t burned like our most recent victim.”

“He wasn’t burned either,” Tobias said. “Quick thinking neighbor called it in, and there’s a fire department a block away. More contamination on this body, but not much.”

“That’s good to know,” Holmes said. “It should be easier to collect evidence to convict her.”

“That’s what we’re hoping,” Tobias said.

After that they went over everything they knew until a technician came in with a stack of papers. Lestrade took it and told the technician that Anderson needed to revisit the scene of Will Kelley’s homicide with Dimmock accompanying him. Dimmock left the room with the technician and the others settled in to hear what was known about their homicide suspect. “Her name is Adriana Bennington. She’s thirty years old and just got out of prison five years ago for arson. She was let out on parole and then she disappeared two years ago. She’s got both British and American citizenship but grew up in New York, or at the very least did all her crimes there. There’s no arrest record here.”

“How did she get here?” John asked. “I mean, if she was on parole she shouldn’t have been allowed to leave the United States, right?”

“Turns out our second victim wasn’t just an arsonist, he was a forger,” Lestrade said as he shuffled through the papers. “The ID he had on him was a fake. His real name is David Baxter, and he was let out of prison ten years ago due to overcrowding. He’d been caught making fake IDs for college students in New York. Apparently he was so good he could forge any document, given enough time to study an authentic one.”

“And wasn’t Kelley a convicted felon as well?” Holmes asked.

Tobias nodded. “Had a rap sheet as long as my arm,” he replied.

“Then Baxter must have created all the paperwork they would need to get here, and since Bennington knew her way around London the three of them decided this would be a good place to relocate.”

“That’s the theory I’ve formulated as well,” Sherlock said with a nod.

“Then we’ll take that in with us when we interrogate her,” Lestrade said. He looked over at Tobias. “Should we allow the two of them in?”

“I don’t think it would hurt,” Tobias said slowly. “Four against one might crack her.”

“Very well. Both of you Sherlocks come into interrogation with us. You two can watch from outside,” Lestrade said to John and John. He stood up then. “Let’s get started then, shall we?”


	5. Chapter 5

Adriana Bennington cracked in an hour. Much to everyone’s relief, she confirmed there were only three arsonists, and she’d killed her two partners. Will Kelley had started freaking out when the guard was injured, and she killed him to keep him from going to the cops; David Baxter had had his reservations about her and the fact she killed a man so he had to die as well. It was such an open and shut case that Tobias said there really hadn’t been any need for them to come, but Lestrade said he was grateful for the help anyway.

While the Yarders went to a pub to celebrate closing the case, both of the Sherlocks and their assistants went to 221B Baker Street. Mrs. Hudson was there, baking the mince pies just like she had promised. “Hello, boys,” she said with a smile. Then she turned to Joan. “You must be John’s cousin Joan.”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. She offered Mrs. Hudson her hand but Mrs. Hudson hugged her instead, and after a moment Joan hugged her back. “It’s nice to meet you. Both Sherlocks told me a lot about you.”

“John has talked about you an awful lot these last few months,” Mrs. Hudson said with a warm smile. “How extraordinary to find a cousin you didn’t even know about!”

“It was quite a surprise,” John said with a chuckle. “Thankfully it was a pleasant one.”

“How is the case going?” Mrs. Hudson asked.

“It’s been solved,” Sherlock replied.

“Oh, so soon?” Mrs. Hudson asked with a slight frown.

“Joan and I shall be staying for a little while longer, however. She has family here she would like to get to know, and I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to pay a visit to my family as well.,” Holmes said. “Though it might be best if I avoid Mycroft. Every so often I still get the urge to hit him.”

“That might be best,” Sherlock said as John chuckled.

“Where will you be staying?” Mrs. Hudson asked Joan.

“I was going to continue to stay in my hotel room,” she said.

“Nonsense. You can stay here,” she said.

“The only bedroom available is the basement bedroom, and there’s no bed there,” John said.

“I have an extra room in my part of the house,” she replied. “I use it when I have company come to visit. Or I _did_ , before Sherlock came to live here. He's scared away all my guests after a day or two.”

“My apologies,” Sherlock said with a slight nod.

“Oh, apology accepted,” she said with a smile. “I do hope none of you had plans tonight. I’d like to cook for you, in celebration.”

“Actually, I have a date,” John said.

“And I was going to show Joan around London,” Holmes said.

“And I have a date as well,” Sherlock replied.

“You do?” John and Mrs. Hudson chorused, shocked. 

Sherlock’s jaw set slightly. “Yes, I do. Why is this so hard to believe?”

“Maybe because you’ve never shown any romantic interest in anyone the entire time I’ve known you?” John said.

“And it’s been the same for me, and I met you first,” Mrs. Hudson said.

“It’s the pathologist,” Holmes said with a slight smirk.

“You could do a lot worse than Molly,” John said with a slight nod. “She’ll have the patience for all your quirks.”

“You should invite her to come dine with us,” Mrs. Hudson said to Sherlock. Then she turned to John. “Your date too.”

“Sally can’t be in the same room with him,” he said, nodding towards Holmes.

“No, Sally and I made our amends. But I do still think it’s too soon,” Holmes said. He caught the confused look on Mrs. Hudson’s face. “She is my ex-girlfriend.”

“Ah,” Mrs. Hudson said with a nod. “Very well. Perhaps tomorrow?”

“I will make sure my calendar is completely clear,” Holmes said with a grin.

“I will as well,” Sherlock replied.

“Me too,” John said with a nod and a smile.

“Excellent! Have any of you eaten lunch yet?” Mrs. Hudson asked. All four of them shook their heads. “The pies just came out of the oven ten minutes ago. We can share them and you can tell me all about the case.”

“Very well,” Sherlock said, nodding. “Should we take them upstairs? I don’t think we’ll all fit down here.”

“That would be wonderful,” Mrs. Hudson said.

“Let me get one of them,” Holmes said. He got some oven mitts and picked up one of the pies. “I’ll come back for the other one in a moment.”

“You’re such a sweetheart,” Mrs. Hudson said with a smile, patting his cheek. “So, Sherlock, how did it all play out?” she asked as Holmes walked towards the stairs.

“Which one of us?” Sherlock asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” she replied as she followed Holmes with the others right behind her.

“Well,” Holmes said, “it all started years ago when three convicted felons with a predilection for starting fires met in New York City…”


End file.
